The Latest: Gary Jones remains head of UAW after board meets

Updated
8:51 pm EDT, Friday, September 13, 2019

FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo United Auto Workers President Gary Jones speaks during the opening of their contract talks with General Motors in Detroit. A strike against General Motors looms large with just over a day left until the United Auto Workers’ national contracts with the three Detroit automakers expire. The union’s national agreements with GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler end at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. less

FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo United Auto Workers President Gary Jones speaks during the opening of their contract talks with General Motors in Detroit. A strike against General Motors looms large ... more

Photo: Paul Sancya, AP

Photo: Paul Sancya, AP

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FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo United Auto Workers President Gary Jones speaks during the opening of their contract talks with General Motors in Detroit. A strike against General Motors looms large with just over a day left until the United Auto Workers’ national contracts with the three Detroit automakers expire. The union’s national agreements with GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler end at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. less

FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo United Auto Workers President Gary Jones speaks during the opening of their contract talks with General Motors in Detroit. A strike against General Motors looms large ... more

Photo: Paul Sancya, AP

The Latest: Gary Jones remains head of UAW after board meets

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DETROIT (AP) — The Latest on the possibility of a United Auto Workers strike against General Motors (all times local):

8:30 p.m.

United Auto Workers President Gary Jones remains in power after a meeting of union officials held to discuss UAW business.

Spokesman Brian Rothenberg says nothing changed after the meeting and that Jones and Vance Pearson are still in office. Pearson is a district director from the St. Louis area.

The executives met at a Detroit Metropolitan Airport hotel on Friday, a day after federal authorities unveiled charges against Person in a widening union corruption probe.

After the meeting, Jones' driver and others physically blocked an Associated Press reporter from trying to approach him to ask questions. Jones has not been charged in the case.

The corruption scandal is complicating contract talks with General Motors. The union's contract with the company expires Saturday night.

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1:40 p.m.

The United Auto Workers union has extended its national contracts with Ford and Fiat Chrysler, but the pact with General Motors is still set to expire on Saturday night.

GM has been picked as the union's target company, meaning it's the focus of bargaining and will be the first company to face a strike. The four-year contract with GM will expire at 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

Experts say a strike against GM is likely given the wide gulf between the union and company on wages, plant closures and other issues.

One Detroit local union hall already has posted picket line schedules with no dates attached.

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11:50 a.m.

A strike against General Motors looms large as contracts with the United Auto Workers and Detroit's three automakers is about to expire.

The union's national agreements with GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler end at 11:59 p.m. Saturday. The union has picked GM as its target company.

It's possible that contracts will be extended or an agreement is reached. But 49,200 UAW members also could walk out of GM plants next week.

Experts say both sides are far apart, with workers wanting a bigger slice of record company profits and automakers seeking to cut labor costs that are higher than U.S. factories owned by foreign-based companies.